The invention relates to an apparatus for transporting flexible, sheet-like products, in particular printed products, away and/or for further processing, having a plurality of grippers which can be moved along a gripper conveying route and follow one after the other in the transporting direction, and having a plurality of suction elements which can be moved along a suction element conveying route and are intended for receiving in each case one product and for transferring the received product to a gripper. The operations take place in a receiving and transfer region.
Such apparatuses are suitable for receiving individually, by means of the suction elements, products which are arranged in stack form or are supplied in imbricated formation and for transferring the received products to grippers, which then feed the gripped products for further processing. In this case, the suction elements always transfer precisely one product to each gripper, with the result that it is made possible for the apparatus to receive the products individually and to feed them individually for further processing.
It is an object of the invention to develop the above described apparatus such that, with an economically viable outlay on the one hand, it is possible to guarantee the increased reliability of error-free product receiving and product transfer operations and on the other hand, it is possible to increase the speed of the receiving and transfer process.
The above and other objects and advantages are achieved according to the invention in that, in the receiving and transfer region, the suction element conveying route runs along or parallel to the gripper conveying route.
By virtue of the suction element conveying route and the gripper conveying route running in this way according to the invention, suction elements and grippers move uniformly one beside the other along an at least largely common curved path during the product receiving and product transfer process. In contrast to known apparatuses, in which suction elements and grippers move on different curved paths during the receiving and transfer process, this has the advantage that no relative movements occur between the suction elements and grippers as a result of different curved paths, with the result that the suction elements and grippers, which according to the invention move at the same speed on mutually corresponding curved paths, are arranged in a largely stationary manner in relation to one another by way of their base and/or carrier units. This achieves simplified activation and synchronization of the moveable and/or controllable suction element and gripper parts since, in the case of this control and synchronization, there is no need to take account of different curved paths of the base and/or carrier units of suction elements and grippers. This simplification means that errors during the product receiving and product transfer operations are largely ruled out. In addition, the simplification means that the receiving and transfer process can take place at high speed without this making it necessary to accept the error-free sequence of the receiving and transfer process being adversely affected.
It is preferred if the length of that section of the suction element conveying route which runs along or parallel to the gripper conveying route is such that at least two successive grippers are located in this section. This minimum length of the section in which the two conveying routes run along mutually corresponding curved paths ensures that the entire receiving and transfer process can take place within said section, with the result that it is possible to rule out relative movements of the base and/or carrier units of suction elements and grippers during this process.
In the receiving and transfer region, the gripper conveying route and the suction element conveying route may run, for example, on concentric circular paths. This makes it possible for the suction elements and grippers to be conveyed in a straightforward manner since, in both cases, they may be driven by means of one or more transporting wheels.
It is advantageous if, in the receiving and transfer region, in each case one gripper and one suction element are assigned to one another. In particular, in the receiving and transfer region, the distance between two successive grippers may correspond to the distance between two successive suction elements. This means that in each case one gripper and one suction element can pass through the receiving and transfer region at an optimized distance from one another on their mutually corresponding curved paths, which minimizes the mechanical outlay required for the arrangement as a whole and optimizes the freedom from error and speed of the receiving and transfer process.
In the receiving and transfer region, the suction element conveying route and gripper conveying route preferably run approximately centrally along, in particular centrally above, the products which are to be received. This means that no mechanical devices have to be provided laterally alongside the products which are to be received and have been received.
As has already been mentioned, suction elements and grippers may be conveyed in the receiving and transfer region by in each case one transporting wheel. It is likewise possible to provide just a single transporting wheel, which conveys both the suction elements and the grippers in the receiving and transfer region. For the case where the grippers are conveyed by means of a separate or common transporting wheel, said grippers can be coupled to the transporting wheel in an either releasable or non-releasable manner during the transportation. In the case of non-releasable coupling, the grippers describe basically a circular path about the transporting wheel, one section of this circular path forming the receiving and transfer region. In another section of the circular path, the products previously transferred to the grippers are then discharged to a downstream conveying apparatus or any other desired further-processing station. In the case of releasable coupling of the grippers to the transporting wheel, the grippers can leave the circular path of the transporting wheel, once they have received a product, in order to convey the received products in a region which is spaced apart from the transporting wheel. For this purpose, the grippers are preferably coupled to a conveying means which, in the receiving and transfer region, runs along the corresponding section of the transporting wheel.
It is advantageous if the suction elements are retained on the suction element-transporting wheel, and/or on the respectively associated base and/or carrier unit which, for its part, is firmly coupled to the transporting wheel, such that they can be pivoted in each case between a receiving position and a transfer position. This pivoting capacity allows the suction elements to be activated in a specific manner during the receiving and transfer process such that a relative movement takes place between the suction element and associated gripper, said relative movement ensuring that a product which has been attached by suction is transferred to the gripper.
Furthermore, it is advantageous if the suction elements each have a guide surface which acts in the transfer position of said suction elements and is intended for guiding in a defined manner between the guide surface and a counter-pressure apparatus a product which is not retained by means of suction action. The guide surface serves for guiding in a defined manner the products which have already been received and transferred to a gripper and for ensuring that that section of the product which is not retained by a gripper cannot move in an uncontrolled manner and also, furthermore, preferably does not come into contact with one or more grippers following in the conveying direction. In particular, the interaction of the guide surface with the counter-pressure apparatus may also ensure that products transferred to a gripper are still guiding reliably even when the respective gripper has already released them again for the purpose of further transportation or further processing.
The functioning of the guide surface and counterpressure apparatus will also be explained clearly within the context of the description of the figures.
It is possible, within the context of the invention, for each gripper assigned to a suction element to be designed as a gripper pair, it being the case that, in the receiving and transfer region, the suction element is arranged between the two grippers of the respectively associated gripper pair. Alternatively, however, it is also possible for each suction element assigned to a gripper to be designed as a suction element pair, it being the case that, in the receiving and transfer region, the gripper is then arranged between the two suction elements of the respectively associated suction element pair.
Within the context of the invention, the gripper movements, the suction element movements and the activation of the suction elements are preferably controlled by control guides and/or toothed-belt gear mechanisms.